Wednesday, February 4, 2009
What is Dramatica?
Dramatica is a theory of story structure.
Dramatica is also the name of a line of software products that implement the theory as a tool to help writers develop their stories.
The Dramatica theory is centered around a concept called the "Story Mind". It states that every story has a mind of its own. The Story Mind's psychology is determined by its structure; its personality is developed by the storytelling.
Though characters are written to come across as real people, structurally speaking, characters are no more than facets of the overall Story Mind, just as our own minds are driven by many conflicting motivations.
Plot represents our own problem solving mental mechanisms, made tangible in stories as the logical progression of events in the effort to achieve a goal.
Theme projects our value standards into tangible terms, and Genre captures the Story Mind's overall attitude.
The Dramatic Software is centered around a patented "Story Engine" which is a computer model of the Story Mind's psychology.
The dramatic elements that make up the Story Engine (such as Goal and the Main Character's resolve to either change or remain steadfast in its outlook and approach) are held together in a flexible network of interconnections, just as the aspects of our own minds are not independent units but continually affect one another as our thought processes continue.
As an author answers questions about his or her dramatic intent for a story, the Story Engine cross-references the dramatic impact of those choices and reports on how other dramatic elements are affected.
In this way, writers are able to see what would be appropriate and inappropriate choices for their stories if they are to remain consistent to their own dramatic intent. In the end, the Dramatica Software enables authors to ensure their stories' structures are flawless, complete, and fully functional.
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